as in to pierce
to go or come in or into
a needle penetrated the heavy canvas only with great effort
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Recent Examples of penetrate
It was meant to penetrate censorship on the island, where media is tightly controlled by the government and independent journalists generally wind up in prison or in exile.
—
Frances Robles, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
In an incredibly clumsy move to penetrate the Chinese market, Facebook secretly released apps in the country through shell corporations without authorization, but supposedly with the tacit approval of China’s internet regulator.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
Sometimes, the most biting and penetrating films are the ones that poke fun at society’s absurdities—a dynamic that Mark Mylod fully understood with The Menu.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Heavy precipitation events often cause soil runoff and don’t penetrate the ground as well as consistent rainfall over several days.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penetrate
Frances Robles, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
In an incredibly clumsy move to penetrate the Chinese market, Facebook secretly released apps in the country through shell corporations without authorization, but supposedly with the tacit approval of China’s internet regulator.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
Sometimes, the most biting and penetrating films are the ones that poke fun at society’s absurdities—a dynamic that Mark Mylod fully understood with The Menu.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Heavy precipitation events often cause soil runoff and don’t penetrate the ground as well as consistent rainfall over several days.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penetrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrate
Verb
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That, for me, is the only piercing message of this whole thing.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2025
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Stray bullets had shattered his own downstairs window; a second bullet pierced the house and lodged into an upstairs wall.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When Zdeno Chara arrived in Boston and slapped the ‘C’ on his chest in 2006, the Bruins entered an era of strong leadership and built a winning culture.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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Callender entered in the 86th minute and did not allow a ball to get past him as Inter Miami successfully held off Philadelphia despite an additional nine minutes of stoppage time and some contentious play between the sides down the stretch.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Peacock Premium allows subscribers to access everything in the free plan, as well as live sports, Peacock original series, next-day episodes of NBC shows and more movies and TV shows that aren’t available in the free account.—
Maya Gandara,
StyleCaster,
21 Mar. 2025
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He's tried to access the content on the phone but hasn't been able to open it.—
Beth Ann Mayer,
Parents,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrate. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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